The Third Commandment

What’s in a name?

New parents are having a tough time naming their newborns. Before social media, when it was time to name the baby, most parents dug into their family history or cracked open a baby names book. Not anymore. Now, some are making sure the baby’s name is freely available on social media. Names are big business.

In recent history, when the child was born new parents would purchase the name as a domain, a webiste, so they’d always have it. That’s not good enough. Parents are now relying on available Snapchat, Twitter, and Instagram handles to name their kids. The reason: Many parents want their kids to have a social media presence before they’re born. After birth, social media might help them in business, life, popularity. Names are important.

How many of us have ever been called by the wrong name? It seems to be a running joke for customers that they will be called by the wrong name at Starbucks, as if it were on purpose. But there are times when offense is taken. I have a friend named Jeremiah who is greatly opposed to being called Jeremy — and at his ordination into ministry, an elder prayed for him and called him… “Jeremy.”

Maybe you’ve been called names by a bully — I would purposely get Chad or Chance as a rouse — Chase really is not that hard to remember.

Names provide others with information on our identity and are often picked with intent. But names also ascribe value, character, and influence.

For example — If I say the name of any modern President, all of us will have a judgement based on the name. Judgement on character, value, influence, etc — and not one will be the same.

Sometimes, a name is associated with the worst of the worst and it is best to avoid the name all together. In the Harry Potter series, there is a villain only spoken as “He who shall not be named.” Even in NBC’s The Office, Dwight was pleading with his co-workers not to say the name Voldemort.

What about God’s name?

If we ascribe value, character, and influence to the names of humans — what does that tell us about God’s name? The personal name for God, Yahweh, was not introduced to his people until the time of Moses in Exodus 3:13-15

Exodus 3:13–15 NIV

13 Moses said to God, “Suppose I go to the Israelites and say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you,’ and they ask me, ‘What is his name?’ Then what shall I tell them?” 14 God said to Moses, “I am who I am. This is what you are to say to the Israelites: ‘I am has sent me to you.’ ” 15 God also said to Moses, “Say to the Israelites, ‘The Lord, the God of your fathers—the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob—has sent me to you.’ “This is my name forever, the name you shall call me from generation to generation.

Following God’s leading of his people out of Egypt, the Israelites sang a song to him in Exodus 15. They sang —

Exodus 15:3 NIV

3 The Lord is a warrior; the Lord is his name.

To the Israelites, the name of God — Yahweh — signified his essence, his intimacy with them. God became savior, warrior, redeemer, their strength and power. The name of their God became a name of highest reverence and honor — to the point where they refuse to speak the name “Yahweh” and instead say “Eloheim” in the event that they may misuse the name. They refuse to use the name out of careful obedience to his command.

The Third Commandment

We find ourselves here in the third commandment — following two weeks where we have covered that our God is the only God to be worshipped — there is to be none before him. No image, no idol, nada. Our God is the only God worthy of worship.

If you have your Bibles, turn with me to Exodus 20:7 where we will read what the Lord commands his people — the Israelites — to do in faithful obedience to him.

Exodus 20:7 NIV

7 “You shall not misuse the name of the Lord your God, for the Lord will not hold anyone guiltless who misuses his name.

I am sure many of us are saying “Pastor, I know I definitely do not struggle with this one. I still have the bruises on my backside from my parents when I said “Oh my....!”

The largest amount of physical punishment I recieved as a child did not come by picking on my sister, disobeying my parents, or getting into a fight with my friends - it was when those three word exited my mouth in a specific order. I know many of you may share a similar story.

So then, how does taking God’s name in vain apply to us? Some of us are good about not saying “Oh my God!” “OMG!” “Oh my gosh!” or any other variation people around us may find offensive.

We know it was never intended to be misused in frustration - the name was given to Israel as an intimate way God wanted to be known among his people — as Yahweh. It is a name that only friends may call.

It is a name that must be used rightly within the intimacy and relationship it was given. And we want to do that as people who have encountered the living God through Jesus Christ. But I’ll be honest with you — this command is not specific at all. There is a lot of room to wander and it encompasses much more than saying “Oh my God!”

Friends, I want you to notice something else here too — not only is the command generalized, but so is the punishment.

Exodus 20:7 (NIV)

7 “You shall not misuse the name of the Lord your God, for the Lord will not hold anyone guiltless who misuses his name.

How we use God’s name matters. This command is not specific to one use, but to thousands of ways we could use his holy, intimate, righteous, loving, and glorified name poorly.

One way that we would be tempted to do that is by using God’s name flippantly, pointlessly. Numbers 30:1-2 details ways that Israel may be tempted to use God’s name flippantly, but let me give you the summary — if you swear by God — take a vow by God, then you better be ready to fulfill exactly what you have said. So, those marriage vows you made before God? Yup. That vow you made in 6th grade when you didn’t study for that test? Yup.

Jesus tells us something similar in his sermon on the mount. Read with me in Matthew 5:33-37

Matthew 5:33–37 NLT

33 “You have also heard that our ancestors were told, ‘You must not break your vows; you must carry out the vows you make to the Lord.’ 34 But I say, do not make any vows! Do not say, ‘By heaven!’ because heaven is God’s throne. 35 And do not say, ‘By the earth!’ because the earth is his footstool. And do not say, ‘By Jerusalem!’ for Jerusalem is the city of the great King. 36 Do not even say, ‘By my head!’ for you can’t turn one hair white or black. 37 Just say a simple, ‘Yes, I will,’ or ‘No, I won’t.’ Anything beyond this is from the evil one.

We are tempted to use God’s name in a way that will bring us more security. You tell your non-believing employer that they can trust you because you are a Christian, you read your Bible, and you pray 2x a day. Then you forget to send out that important memo to the company and now you —and God—have lost honor and trust. All because you chose to use his name flippantly. All because you wanted more respect, responsibility, prestige. Let your yes be yes, and your no be no.

Another way we misuse God’s name is by acknowledging Jesus with our lips, then completely disregarding him with our lifestyle. It is those who say “God said this,” and they are yet to have a relationship with him. It is those who use the word of God to elevate themselves and their agenda, so that they become greater while everyone else around them becomes less.

Let us look at Jesus’ words from Matthew 15:1-9. Here Jesus is speaking with the Pharisees, devout religious leaders who have cared more for legal precision than loving faithfulness. Join me as we read.

Matthew 15:1–9 NIV

1 Then some Pharisees and teachers of the law came to Jesus from Jerusalem and asked, 2 “Why do your disciples break the tradition of the elders? They don’t wash their hands before they eat!” 3 Jesus replied, “And why do you break the command of God for the sake of your tradition? 4 For God said, ‘Honor your father and mother’ and ‘Anyone who curses their father or mother is to be put to death.’ 5 But you say that if anyone declares that what might have been used to help their father or mother is ‘devoted to God,’ 6 they are not to ‘honor their father or mother’ with it. Thus you nullify the word of God for the sake of your tradition. 7 You hypocrites! Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you: 8 “ ‘These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. 9 They worship me in vain; their teachings are merely human rules.’”

This is our key take away of what it means to take God’s name in vain — You take God’s holy name, Yahweh — Jesus, and deny it with your actions and the way you live.

Both those who place themselves in a category of Democrat or Republican are guilt of this. They ascribe God’s name to their campaign, their ideals, and deny him with their actions. Churches weakening their ministry by pledging allegiance to a man made nation state rather than the Living God. Trading our birth right as heir’s with Christ Jesus for wordly power and success. Bringing shame, dishonor to him, his name, and his character.

Jesus tells us in Matthew 12:33-37

Matthew 12:33–37 NIV

33 “Make a tree good and its fruit will be good, or make a tree bad and its fruit will be bad, for a tree is recognized by its fruit. 34 You brood of vipers, how can you who are evil say anything good? For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of. 35 A good man brings good things out of the good stored up in him, and an evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in him. 36 But I tell you that everyone will have to give account on the day of judgment for every empty word they have spoken. 37 For by your words you will be acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned.”

How then shall I speak the name?

If taking God’s name in vain is this serious — how then should I speak of His name so I bring him honor, glory, and praise in how I speak, how I worship, and how I live? The command to speak God’s name properly is a direction toward Israel’s protection. God is to be honored, blessed, praised, celebrated, invoked, pronounced, and shared!

The goal for faithfully living out God’s name is not to live in fear of messing up because you will mess up. Guaranteed. The goal of faithfully living out God’s name — not taking it in vain — is to abide with him. I love Eugene Peterson’s translation of Colossians 3:1-17. This new life in Christ, this redeemed life in Christ requires us to make an adjustment and act like we are redeemed, renewed, and transformed in Christ.

Colossians 3:1–17 The Message

1 So if you’re serious about living this new resurrection life with Christ, act like it. Pursue the things over which Christ presides. 2 Don’t shuffle along, eyes to the ground, absorbed with the things right in front of you. Look up, and be alert to what is going on around Christ—that’s where the action is. See things from his perspective. 3 Your old life is dead. Your new life, which is your real life—even though invisible to spectators—is with Christ in God. He is your life. 4 When Christ (your real life, remember) shows up again on this earth, you’ll show up, too—the real you, the glorious you. Meanwhile, be content with obscurity, like Christ. 5 And that means killing off everything connected with that way of death: sexual promiscuity, impurity, lust, doing whatever you feel like whenever you feel like it, and grabbing whatever attracts your fancy. That’s a life shaped by things and feelings instead of by God. 6 It’s because of this kind of thing that God is about to explode in anger. 7 It wasn’t long ago that you were doing all that stuff and not knowing any better. 8 But you know better now, so make sure it’s all gone for good: bad temper, irritability, meanness, profanity, dirty talk. 9 Don’t lie to one another. You’re done with that old life. It’s like a filthy set of ill-fitting clothes you’ve stripped off and put in the fire. 10 Now you’re dressed in a new wardrobe. Every item of your new way of life is custom-made by the Creator, with his label on it. All the old fashions are now obsolete. 11 Words like Jewish and non-Jewish, religious and irreligious, insider and outsider, uncivilized and uncouth, slave and free, mean nothing. From now on everyone is defined by Christ, everyone is included in Christ. 12 So, chosen by God for this new life of love, dress in the wardrobe God picked out for you: compassion, kindness, humility, quiet strength, discipline. 13 Be even-tempered, content with second place, quick to forgive an offense. Forgive as quickly and completely as the Master forgave you. 14 And regardless of what else you put on, wear love. It’s your basic, all-purpose garment. Never be without it. 15 Let the peace of Christ keep you in tune with each other, in step with each other. None of this going off and doing your own thing. And cultivate thankfulness. 16 Let the Word of Christ—the Message—have the run of the house. Give it plenty of room in your lives. Instruct and direct one another using good common sense. And sing, sing your hearts out to God! 17 Let every detail in your lives—words, actions, whatever—be done in the name of the Master, Jesus, thanking God the Father every step of the way.

This is the example of not taking God’s name in vain. Of bringing him honor, glory, and praise through our words, actions, and deeds. Taking God’s name in vain goes much deeper than curse words — but calls us to examine the very core of who we are and give ourselves to him.

As we close today, Jesus instructed his disciples on how to pray in Matthew 6. He opens with these words

Matthew 6:9 NIV

9 “This, then, is how you should pray: “ ‘Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name,

In every encounter with God this week, let us give him honor and praise. In every encounter with humanity, let us remember that we have a righteousness given to us by God — a freedom that permits us to be transformed from the inside out, to have the mind of Christ so that we may love God with all our heart, mind, and strength, and our neighbors as ourselves.

May we only do what we see the Father do. May we say what we have heard him say. May we get so close that we never miss a word. May it be so hidden in our hearts that we might not sin against him.

LORD, may we live faithfully after you in our actions, words, and deeds this week.